The 29th annual Hunger Banquet will focus on developing empathy by taking each guest through a story in another’s shoes. Each guest will be given a role as they enter the Hunger Banquet and will experience different events throughout the night through the eyes of their assigned character. We encourage all guests to experience their event not from their perspective, but from the perspective of the character they have been given. We hope that through this exercise, we can all gain a better understanding of the empathy we need globally and the human dignity we all share.

Enjoy dinner through a simulation of demographic inequality in the world. At the Hunger Banquet, attendees are randomly assigned to high, middle, or lower classes. Guests will be seated in areas and served a meal representative of their assigned class. Guests will be assigned characters from their social class and corresponding stories that they will follow over the course of the night. Throughout the evening, guests will enjoy performances from local musicians as well as dancers showcasing cultures from around the world. At the end of the event, attendees will vote on one of three vetted organizations, who will receive 100 percent of the proceeds from the event.

Directly before the Hunger Banquet begins, over forty nonprofit organizations gather on the WSC Terrace to share their stories and recruit volunteers. The fair will also include activities such as the Doctors Without Borders’ Forced From Home Virtual Reality Experience, hands-on activities, socially minded campus clubs, and Henna artists.

This event will have a large digital aspect. We highly encourage having a smart device at the event to fully enjoy the experience of this year’s event. If you do not have access to a smart device, don’t worry! We will have paper copies available for you to have a great experience

Tickets and more information for this year’s Hunger Banquet may be found at hungerbanquet.byu.edu.